Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Value

Inventory.

It is the retail employee's worst nightmare. The bike shop is full to the rafters with prehistoric parts, accessories and new products that change faster than computer technologies. What is this and how much is it worth?

Part after part of incredible value or a high price that has plummeted due to product extinction. The cheers and following "oohs and aaahs" when we discover an item that we haven't needed or seen in years is incredible. The dollar amount is staggering when added up at the end of a section.

The ultimate consumer question. How much do we have?

Which begs the question, how much are you worth and how do you value your life?

In today's world we have begun to take our inventory by counting what we have. Seven bathrooms, 5 bedrooms, four flat screens, three cars over $30,000 each, the "perfect" family of two kids [one of each], a boat, a cabin at the lake, a time share and the list goes on.

The priorities are askew. I have two significant inventories to do each year. One is for me and one is for my business.

This is what we have this year:Business:

lots of stuff worth a cash value

17 staff that can all read and write = priceless

3 owners that all still have their health = priceless

2 owners that took 15 friends to ride from Seattle to Portland = leadership, which = priceless

staff members that value their jobs, the environment that they want to live in and the lifestyle they want to have = priceless

employees that know they can implement new ideas = priceless

employees that value their fellow man and give to charities even though they are not cash wealthy = priceless

employees that smile more often than not = priceless

people that care = priceless

Personally:

a healthy family

two children that teach me more about living for the moment in one day than a lifetime of collecting stuff could = priceless

awareness of who and what I am = priceless

friends that care about me and not my net worth = priceless

These are but a few things that I have in my inventory. There is so much more that each day I now take an inventory. An inventory I say thank you for.